In this rapidly changing teaching and learning environment, one of the most promising ways for faculty at institutions of higher education to improve their teaching is to capitalize upon their skills as researchers. This book is a step-by-step guide for doing research to inform and improve teaching and learning. With background and instruction about how to engage in these methodologies—including historical analyses, qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods—the second edition of Doing Research to Improve Teaching and Learning discusses a process of working collaboratively and reflectively to improve one’s teaching craft. Full of updated, authentic examples from research studies, student work and instructor reflections, this valuable resource equips faculty with the skills to collect and use data and evidence-based instructional methods in any college and university classroom.

Given the increased accountability at the college and university level, one of the most promising ways for faculty at institutions of higher education to improve their teaching is to capitalize upon their skills as researchers. This book is a step-by-step guide for doing research to inform and improve teaching and learning. With background and instruction about how to engage in these methodologies—including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods—Doing Research to Improve Teaching and Learning provides examples across disciplines of how to use one's research skills to improve teaching. This valuable resource equips faculty with the skills to collect and use different types of research evidence to improve teaching and learning in any college and university classroom. Special Features: Chapter openers highlight the questions and issues that will be addressed in each chapter. Recurring text boxes provide authentic examples from actual research studies, student work, and instructor reflections. Coverage of challenges, key successes, and lessons learned from classroom research presents a nuanced and complete understanding of the process.

Given the increased accountability at the college and university level, one of the most promising ways for faculty at institutions of higher education to improve their teaching is to capitalize upon their skills as researchers. This book is a step-by-step guide for doing research to inform and improve teaching and learning. With background and instruction about how to engage in these methodologies—including qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods—Doing Research to Improve Teaching and Learning provides examples across disciplines of how to use one's research skills to improve teaching. This valuable resource equips faculty with the skills to collect and use different types of research evidence to improve teaching and learning in any college and university classroom. Special Features: Chapter openers highlight the questions and issues that will be addressed in each chapter. Recurring text boxes provide authentic examples from actual research studies, student work, and instructor reflections. Coverage of challenges, key successes, and lessons learned from classroom research presents a nuanced and complete understanding of the process.

This book will help you to plan, design and conduct quality research within the specific context of education and educational studies. An impressive cast of contributors discuss the reality of conducting research in different educational settings and provide practical advice for both undergraduate and postgraduate students and early career researchers doing research in education. The book discusses key philosophical issues such as understanding research paradigms, ethics and selecting appropriate methodologies but remains grounded in the practical experience of the researcher. It has comprehensive coverage of the whole research process from start to finish, is easy to navigate and helps develop key skills such as: Time management Creating good research questions and hypotheses Constructing the literature review Structuring a project Writing a proposal Managing data Analysing data Writing for specific audiences Packed full of learning features and showcasing a wide range of voices and opinions this book is an ideal guide for anyone conducting research in education or educational studies.

Action Research: Using Strategic Inquiry to Improve Teaching and Learning is a core text for the Action Research course in Education. The proposed text seeks to address the needs of practitioners as it will be primarily written for use within a graduate level action research class. It will be oriented towards proactive planning as part of an organized, efficient process for developing and conducting an action research study. The book will be organized around implementation of the action research process using self-regulatory principles, which is characterized by four phases: task definition, goal setting and planning, enacting, and adapting. These four phases will be addressed as the learner considers what action research encompasses and a topic to be studied, then proceeds to establish a plan and enact it. This overall process is organized as can be seen in the Table of Contents. Michael Putnam and Tracy Rock will highlight methods and processes that incorporate formative data that is readily available to teachers, facilitating associations between classroom instruction and the action research process. The text will also reinforce how action research can improve the teaching and learning process by reinforcing or changing perceptions about the use of informal data, including anecdotal notes or observations, in the research process.

Feedback is arguably the most critical and powerful aspect of teaching and learning. Yet, there remains a paradox: why is feedback so powerful and why is it so variable? It is this paradox which Visible Learning: Feedback aims to unravel and resolve. Combining research excellence, theory and vast teaching expertise, this book covers the principles and practicalities of feedback, including: the variability of feedback, the importance of surface, deep and transfer contexts, student to teacher feedback, peer to peer feedback, the power of within lesson feedback and manageable post-lesson feedback. With numerous case-studies, examples and engaging anecdotes woven throughout, the authors also shed light on what creates an effective feedback culture and provide the teaching and learning structures which give the best possible framework for feedback. Visible Learning: Feedback brings together two internationally known educators and merges Hattie’s world-famous research expertise with Clarke’s vast experience of classroom practice and application, making this book an essential resource for teachers in any setting, phase or country.

Practical and down-to-earth, the second edition of Action Research in Teaching and Learning is an ideal introduction to the subject, offering a distinctive blend of the theoretical and the practical, grounded firmly in the global higher education landscape. Written in an accessible style to build confidence, it provides easily adaptable, practical frameworks, guidelines and advice on research practice within a higher education context. The reader is guided through each stage of the action research process, from engaging with the critical theory, to the practical applications with the ultimate goal of providing a research study which is publishable. Supplemented by useful pedagogical research tools and exemplars of both qualitative and quantitative action research studies, this new edition features chapters engaging with teaching excellence and analysing qualitative and quantitative research, additions to the resources section and a new preface focusing more explicitly on the ever-growing number of part-time academics. Action Research in Teaching and Learning combines a theoretical understanding of the scholarly literature with practical applications and is an essential, critical read for any individual teaching or undertaking action research.

Action research, explored in this book, is a seven-step process for improving teaching and learning in classrooms at all levels. Through practical examples, research tools, and easy-to-follow "implementation strategies," Richard Sagor guides readers through the process from start to finish. Learn how to uncover and use the data that already exist in your classrooms and schools to answer significant questions about your individual or collective concerns and interests. Sagor covers each step in the action research process in detail: selecting a focus, clarifying theories, identifying research questions, collecting data, analyzing data, reporting results, and taking informed action. Drawing from the experience of individual teachers, faculties, and school districts, Sagor describes how action research can enhance teachers' professional standing and efficacy while helping them succeed in settings characterized by increasingly diverse student populations and an emphasis on standards-based reform. The book also demonstrates how administrators and policymakers can use action research to bolster efforts related to accreditation, teacher supervision, and job-embedded staff development. Part how-to guide, part inspirational treatise, Guiding School Improvement with Action Research provides advice, information, and encouragement to anyone interested in reinventing schools as learning communities and restructuring teaching as the true profession it was meant to be.

Which topics are right for Action Research in an education context? How do you go about planning a project, collecting and analysing your data? What′s the best way to present your research findings to parents, colleagues or funding bodies? Whether you are a busy teacher doing research in your classroom, an undergraduate starting your research project, or a Masters level or education doctorate student writing up your dissertation, this step-by-step guide takes you through every stage involved in carrying out Action Research. In this brand new edition, you will find additional guidance on: - philosophical underpinnings of Action Research - the challenges of being an insider researcher - searching and analysing literature from the internet - children′s participation and children′s rights in action research projects in educational settings - validity and authenticity in action research - a new chapter on writing for publication - an action research planning sheet. This book draws on Valsa Koshy′s extensive experience of supervising researchers at all levels, and includes examples of Action Research carried out by practitioners across a range of topics and age groups. Case studies include UK and international examples, allowing you to reflect on multiple perspectives of Action Research in education. Those new to Action Research, and those looking for a straightforward explanation of the methods involved, will find this book invaluable. Valsa Koshy is Professor of Education and Director of a Research and Development Centre at Brunel University.

Praise for How Learning Works "How Learning Works is the perfect title for this excellent book. Drawing upon new research in psychology, education, and cognitive science, the authors have demystified a complex topic into clear explanations of seven powerful learning principles. Full of great ideas and practical suggestions, all based on solid research evidence, this book is essential reading for instructors at all levels who wish to improve their students' learning." —Barbara Gross Davis, assistant vice chancellor for educational development, University of California, Berkeley, and author, Tools for Teaching "This book is a must-read for every instructor, new or experienced. Although I have been teaching for almost thirty years, as I read this book I found myself resonating with many of its ideas, and I discovered new ways of thinking about teaching." —Eugenia T. Paulus, professor of chemistry, North Hennepin Community College, and 2008 U.S. Community Colleges Professor of the Year from The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education "Thank you Carnegie Mellon for making accessible what has previously been inaccessible to those of us who are not learning scientists. Your focus on the essence of learning combined with concrete examples of the daily challenges of teaching and clear tactical strategies for faculty to consider is a welcome work. I will recommend this book to all my colleagues." —Catherine M. Casserly, senior partner, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching "As you read about each of the seven basic learning principles in this book, you will find advice that is grounded in learning theory, based on research evidence, relevant to college teaching, and easy to understand. The authors have extensive knowledge and experience in applying the science of learning to college teaching, and they graciously share it with you in this organized and readable book." —From the Foreword by Richard E. Mayer, professor of psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara; coauthor, e-Learning and the Science of Instruction; and author, Multimedia Learning